Some fascinating birds I’d never heard of

In February 2024, Australia Post released a series of three stamps on the theme “Ground Parrots”, introducing them as:

“Australia is renowned for its diverse avifauna, being home to around 800 bird species. This includes around 55 extant species of parrots (Order Psittaciformes, Family Psittaculidae). These colourful, cacophonous birds are conspicuous and showy exemplars of our native birdlife. Two physical attributes characterise them, setting them apart from other bird species: a broad downturned beak and zygodactylous feet (two forward-facing toes and two backward facing).

Parrots typically spend much time in the tree canopy. These primarily vegetarian birds crack seeds and nuts with their powerful beaks and most depend on mature trees with established hollows for nesting. But there are exceptions to this. Of the five terrestrial parrot species that occur worldwide, three of these are endemic to Australia: The Night Parrot, Western Ground Parrot and Eastern Ground Parrot; the other two are endemic to New Zealand (Kea and Antipodes Parakeet). Unlike most other parrot species and as their name suggests, ground parrots spend much of their time on the ground, where they build shallow nests of loosely knit sticks in low-lying thicket.

All three Australian ground parrots are notoriously shy and elusive, and they mainly occupy areas of dense tussock and grasses or coastal low heathlands. Three to nine years after fires, when the undergrowth is thick, and before taller flora species such as banksia get a foothold, is ideal habitat for these species.  While the three species may be ground-dwelling, they are nevertheless reasonably strong fliers, though generally they run to avoid danger rather than fly. If they are flushed out of hiding, they may fly low for a distance and then drop back into the dense habitat. Their terrestrial behaviour and precise habitat requirements aggravate the parlous state of all three species.”

Limited-Edition Medallion Collection

Each year, Australia Post produce a range of very limited items. Usually these have special features, not found in regular releases. For Impressions 2024, Australia Post produced the “Ground Parrots Limited-Edition Medallion Collection”. Limited to only 150, this folder contains:

• Foiled title and numbering on pack cover
• 3 exclusive 25mm medallions
• 4 corners of a module for each of the 3 stamp designs

The inside of the folder contained the three stamp modules on the left, against an outback scene. On the right, the three medallions with a photo of each bird and several paragraphs about it.

Error

There was an error in the production run, however. Following up with Australia Post, they confirmed “Foil was used only for the Title. None of the products had numbering on it. (Initially we did plan to have numbers on the product)”. The website has now been updated to read “Foiled section in the title on pack cover”. Disappointingly, this means that none of this product run are numbered. I choose to believe I got what would have been 001 / 150! 😂 Let’s have a look at each of the three birds:

Western Ground Parrot

The Western Ground Parrot, Pezoporus Flaviventris, also known as Kyloring by the Ngoongar people is a beautiful slender, grass-green parrot measuring 28-30 centimetres in length. It has a dark-flecked back and yellow and dark barred breast and abdomen, with yellow bars extending a long the length of its long green tail feathers. It has a yellow bar on each wing and an orange-red band above its beak. Adults of both sexes are alike.

Like the Night Parrot, the Western Ground Parrot is listed as critically endangered on the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) with the species occurring in only two small areas on the south-west coast of Western Australia, Fitzgerald River National Park and Cape Arid National Park / Nuytsland Nature Reserve, where it is believed that only around 150 individuals exist.

Night Parrot

Until the late 1980’s the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) was considered extinct, with no confirmed sighting having occurred for more than 140 years. It is rare for a species to return from extinction, and it is now suggested there may be several small populations surviving. The species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and nationally.

The Night Parrot measures 22-24 centimetres in length and, compared with the other two ground parrots, is thickset and stocky, with a short tail and large head. There is little physical difference between the male and female individuals. As its name suggests, the Night Parrot is both crepuscular and nocturnal. It rests or conceals itself in dense tussock by day and emerges to drink after dark. Sightings have been confirmed in central Western Australia (Lake Murchison and Great Sandy Desert Areas) and west-central Queensland (Pullen Pullen Reserve), where it occupies triodia tussockland in arid areas.

Eastern Ground Parrot

The Eastern Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) is very similar to its western counterpart in both size and plumage, though its yellow is a little brighter. While it too inhabits coastal heathlands and associated open marshy areas with low-growing foliage, it has an alternative common name of Swamp Parrot. In Tasmania, it is also associated with areas of button grass.

The Eastern Ground Parrot is secretive and not commonly observed, but it exists in much greater numbers, distributed over suitable habitat in fragmented populations along the east coast, from southern Queensland into New South Wales and parts of coastal Victoria, Tasmania and formerly in South Australia. It is not listed on EPBC Act, but at state level is listed as either endangered or vulnerable. The 2019-20 bushfires greatly impacted the habitat of Victoria’s largest population.

Stamps

The stamps contain “Module corners”. Stamps are produced in a sheet. The edges, or “Gutter” is often quite collectable, especially if it contains additional markings. In this case, the corner blocks contain “$60”. One sheet contains 50 stamps, each worth $1.20, for a total value of $60.

Despite the error and being quite disappointed at the lack of numbering, I really enjoyed this piece, and learning about these fascinating birds. What is a piece you have learned a lot more from than you expected? Let us know!